Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson declared his intention to battle for the WWE Title at the Royal Rumble!

In the midst of the monumental 1,000th episode of Raw, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson emerged before current WWE Champion CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and the WWE Universe — making the earth-shattering announcement that he will fight for the WWE Title at January’s celebrated pay-per-view event. The surprise was an extremely bold move by the iconic Superstar, considering that there is no way of knowing who will be the titleholder when the New Year rolls around.

In the tumultuous world of the squared circle, is it possible that The Second City Saint — currently in his eighth month with championship gold — will still be in possession of it six months from now? Could John Cena, who faced Rock in the main event of WrestleMania XXVIII, be enjoying his 11th WWE Title reign? When it comes time, it might not be either one of them. There conceivably may be any number of formidable names on the contract, including former World Champions Big Show, Chris Jericho, Kane, Daniel Bryan or Rey Mysterio.

“The Most Electrifying Man in All Entertainment” has used the marquee pay-per-view to attain the WWE Championship before, capturing the coveted title for the second time at the 1999 Royal Rumble with a victory over Mankind in an “I Quit” Match. One year later, The Brahma Bull emerged triumphant in the illustrious Royal Rumble Match, giving him — at least temporarily — a one-on-one WWE Title Match at WrestleMania 2000.

However, now that the die has been cast, can The People’s Champion walk out of the US Airways Center in Phoenix with his eighth WWE Championship around his waist? Find out when The Rock battles for the squared circle’s most prestigious prize at the Royal Rumble, January 27, 2013, at 8 ET/5 PT, only on pay-per-view.

A WWE.com poll on the same night revealed that the WWE Universe wants The Great One to face CM Punk for the WWE Title at the Royal Rumble. Add you vote to the mix now.